The structural bodies of orbital satellites, space-faring probes, and some spacecraft are typically handmade. These structural bodies, referred to herein as spacecraft buses, are normally machined, cut, bonded, or molded, using very labor-intensive techniques. Each resulting spacecraft bus is semi-custom. Due to the handmade nature of these items, portions of a spacecraft bus tend to be irregular, at least to some extent. Not only are spacecraft buses time-consuming to manufacture, but the cost is considerable as well. Furthermore, the resulting buses are not uniform.
CubeSats have been recently introduced and comprise satellite devices having a uniform, albeit small, size that allows for a more consistent manufacturing process. Nevertheless, the efficiency of CubeSat production can be improved. Moreover, the small size of CubeSats limits the quantity of internal components as well as the provided functionality.
Overview
A satellite bus, as described herein, includes a plurality of side panels each having a front surface flanked by a first longitudinal edge and a second longitudinal edge, wherein the first longitudinal edge of each side panel is nested with the second longitudinal edge of an adjacent side panel. The individual satellite panels may each include a first flange along the first longitudinal edge and a second flange along the second longitudinal edge, and the first flange superimposed on the second flange forms a joggle.
A method of producing a modular satellite bus may include forming a plurality of the side panels described above, aligning a first longitudinal edge of each side panel with a second longitudinal edge of an adjacent side panel, such that the first longitudinal edge of each side panel is nested with the second longitudinal edge of the adjacent side panel, and securing the first longitudinal edge of each side panel to the second longitudinal edge of the adjacent side panel.